Don't drink the water!

Oops! I swallowed a gulp of tap water when brushing my teeth this morning. This was not just a little bit that might have snuck down my throat. This was a whole gulp. Yikes!

I thought I was smart enough to brush and even rinse without swallowing, but I must be getting forgetful. Guess I'd better change my routine up a bit.

Ooh, that reminds me of that one time…

…

Once upon a time, many years ago, we were on Sosua Beach talking with some other Americans.  The topic was tooth-brushing and other scary things.

...

It was early August 1989.

Our family had just arrived in the country to live and work in Santiago for a year. On this day we were fortunate enough to have been invited on a beach outing with a mission team who had just come from Haiti. We were chatting with the team members about life on this amazing island. 

"Don’t drink the water!"

Team members quickly added, “Don’t even brush your teeth in it” - to which one of our daughters replied that we do, but we just don’t swallow it. One of the team quickly retorted, “Well yah, YOU can - because you LIVE here!” 

How weird that felt to have it said about us - after having been here only a few days and just beginning to adjust to the conditions here.

…

And here we are.

Living here again. 

But maybe I shouldn’t brush my teeth with tap water.